The present invention relates to food compositions, and more particularly to a low cholesterol, low calorie, no-fat dairy product. The invention embraces a composition of ingredients and processing steps which provide the new product.
In recent years, low calorie dairy products that can be eaten as a dessert or snack food have become increasingly popular. For example, Eisfeldt U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,891 illustrates a cheese cake type dessert product which has a reversible gel structure composed of an aqueous mixture of gel forming gum such as gelatin, a sweetening agent, starch and a proteinaceous source such as cottage cheese. The Eisfeldt dessert product, however, has a fat content of from about 15 to 25%, and this is unacceptable for many people who prefer to be on a no-fat diet. Trop et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,347 shows a powdered composition for mixing with a liquid to obtain a mousse product. Again, however, the mousse product of Trop et al includes a relatively high fat content which is derived from the lipid component incorporated in the powdered composition.
Moreley et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,120 illustrates a frozen dessert product which emulates the features of soft serve ice cream which has a fat content of 5% to 15% by weight and a relatively high sugar content of 20% to 40% by weight. Moreley et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,406 is another example of a frozen dessert product which includes a fat constituent of up to about 15% by weight of the product and a high sugar content of between 18% to 30% by weight of the product. Although Moreley et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,405 discloses a frozen dessert product which is formulated without a fat constituent, the sugar content of the dessert accounts for between 25% to 29% by weight of the product, which again is unacceptably high for people desiring a low calorie yet good tasting dessert or snack.
Efforts have also been made to reduce the amount of sugar contained in foods. For example, Torres U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,714 shows a composition that can be used as a replacement for some or all of the flour ordinarily used in pastas, pancakes and leavened baked foods. The composition of the Torres low calorie product includes from about 20% to about 75% by weight of a modified polydextrose as a substitute for sugars.
Various other types of food compositions such as cheese cakes are disclosed in Sakamoto et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,369; gelatin mixes in Fiscella, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,834; dietetic cake mixes in Radlove, U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,174; and ready-to-eat frozen gelatin mixes in Topalian et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,379.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low cholesterol, low calorie, no fat dairy product which may be eaten in refrigerated or frozen form as a dessert or snack.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a low cholesterol, low calorie, no fat dessert or snack that has a rich and pleasing taste which can be prepared without a fat constituent.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a dessert or snack which can be formulated without any significant amount of artificial sweeteners, and to numerous gourmet flavors.
Therefore, in one aspect, the invention includes a low cholesterol, low calorie, no fat dairy product, consisting essentially of, in unflavored form, a blend of water, a no fat protein containing material selected from the group consisting of skim milk and cultured skim milk, sugars consisting of a mixture of 10% to 90% polydextrose (a bulking agent possessing only 1 calorie per gram) and 90% to 10% fructose, milk derived solids, stabilizers and emulsifiers. The water may account for up to about 40% by weight of the product while the no fat protein containing material may account for about 30% to 70% by weight of the product. The sugars account for only about 5% to 30% by weight of the product while the milk derived solids account for about 2% to 8% by weight of the product and the stabilizers and emulsifiers account for about 0.2% to about 2.5% by weight of the product.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for producing a low cholesterol, low calorie, no fat dairy product includes the steps of dissolving a gelatin in water at a temperature sufficient to dissolve the gelatin and form a gelatin mix, cooling the dissolved mix, preparing a blend of sugars consisting of polydextrose and fructose, milk derived solids, stabilizers and emulsifiers, homogenizing the cooled dissolved gelatin mix and the blend with a no fat protein containing material, pasteurizing the homogenized mixture while simultaneously agitating the homogenized mixture, and cooling the pasteurized mixture to less than 70.degree. F. for serving. The pasteurized mixture may then be whipped with the desired flavor to form a mousse like product, or may be cooled until frozen and served like ice cream with a 50% to 90% overrun.